Two-stroke GP bikes might have gone the way of the dinosaur, but Valentino Rossi is still around, and will make his 300th appearance in Grand Prix racing this weekend.
Rossi’s last race at Le Mans was his 150th MotoGP race, and this weekend’s event marks his 300th GP race (he was 125 cc and 250 cc champ before moving up to the premier class). While he’s not atop the standings (it seems only divine intervention will dethrone Marc Marquez at this point), Rossi has got to be savouring this season. It wasn’t that long ago the 34-year-old was languishing mid-pack aboard a troubled Ducati; now, with Yamaha, he’s scoring podiums again, and seems to be happy about his situation.
Now, he’s set to hit a major career milestone at Italy’s Mugello circuit. Maybe, just maybe, he can use his hometown advantage to mark that achievement with a win by outfoxing Marquez. At least, that’s what Marquez thinks. He’s been telling the Euro mags that “at Mugello Valentino will be 22 years old again. Valentino will be so strong there because it’s his home circuit. He will be so hard to beat and he will push a lot.”